Automatic film developing machine with means to sequentially remove film sheets from a magazine

ABSTRACT

A developing automat with an inner transportation device for sheet films, is provided with a device consisting of at least one store magazine and a holder for the magazine fixed to the automat. The invention is particularly characterized in that the supply magazine is provided with a device for removing individually film sheets located in the magazine as a pile of sheets lying directly one upon the other. The supply magazine is also provided with means actuating the film removing device by the transportation device of the automat.

United States Patent 1191 Berger Jan. 8, 1974 [54] AUTOMATIC FILMDEVELOIPIING 3,150,263 9 1964 Catlin 250/66 N 3,675,014 7/1972 Perl250/66 ggi mfs ZEE E FHLM SHEETS 3,476,380 11/1969 Calistrat 271/32 5 QU3,271,571 9/1966 Klem,Jr. et al. 250/66 x FROM A MAGAZINE Inventor:Helmut Berger, Erlangen, Germany Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschait,

Erlangen, Germany Filed: Mar. 16, 1972 Appl. No.: 235,218

Foreign Application Priority Data Apr. 22, 1971 Germany P21 19598.2

U.S. Cl. 250/477, 250/468 Int. Cl. G03! 17/26 Field of Search 214/309,310;

Primary ExaminerWilliam F. Lindquist Att0rneyRichards & Geier [57]ABSTRACT A developing automat with an inner transportation device forsheet films, is provided with a device consisting of at least one storemagazine and a holder for the magazine fixed to the automat. Theinvention is particularly characterized in that the supply magazine isprovided with a device for removing individually film sheets located inthe magazine as a pile of sheets lying directly one upon the other. Thesupply magazine is also provided with means actuating the film removingdevice by the transportation device of the automat.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEUJAN 8 I974 SHEEI 2 or 2* Fig.3

ll AUTOMATIC FILM DEVELUIPIING MAQHINIE WITH MEANS T SEQUENTIIAILLYIRIEMUVIE FllLM SHEETS FROM A MAGAZHNIE This invention relates to adevice provided for a developing automat having inner transportationmeans for sheet films. The device consists of at least one storemagazine and a holder for the magazine which is fixed to the automat.

Photographic films cut as sheets are used a great deal in X-raytechology. Thus the problem arises as to how to supply in a simplemanner to a developing automat exposed film sheets dropping stepwise outof sheet film photographing cameras partly in slides, but at the present time more and more in receiving magazines.

In the X-ray industry a slide is used for receiving individual filmsheets, which is provided with driving rollers for semi-automaticallyremoving a film sheet after it was exposed and transporting it into adeveloping automat. The drawback of this construction is that eachindividual slide must be provided manually with a film sheet and,furthermore, each slide must be brought individually into acorrespondingly adjusted developing automat for developing the exposedfilm sheet. When the developing automat is full one worker is needed toremove the film sheets from the dropping out slides.

A device is also known wherein loose film sheets are introducedautomatically into an automatic developing machine provided with aninner film sheet transporting device. The drawback of this constructionis that the developed films must be stuck one after the other into thespaces of a fan-like magazine.

An object of the present invention is to eliminate these drawbacks ofexisting constructions.

Other objects will become apparent in the course of the followingspecification.

In the accomplishment of the objectives of the present invention it wasfound desirable to combine a developing automat having an innertransportation device with a supply magazine having a device forremoving individually film sheets located in the magazine as a pile andmeans operating the-film removing device by the film transportationdevice of the developing automat. This makes it possible to remove in asingle operation the entire batch of sheet films to be developed locatedin a film receiving slide of an X-ray examining device and to bring itas a batch into the supply magazine without it being necessary to placethe individual sheet separately. These film sheets then can be removedautomatically by the developing automat corresponding to its treatingspeed. Thus all means for adapting the operating speed of thedevelopment automat to the removing device are eliminated.

According to an advantageous further embodiment of the present inventionthe device for removing individual film sheets in the plane of thesupporting surface of the film sheets can consist of an at least partlycalibrated removing slit and a suction head extending into the sameplane and movable back and forth in the direction toward the calibratedslit. This makes it possible to also remove flat unperforated films froma pile of film sheets lying directly one on top of the other. Thisremoving device has also the advantage that supporting pressure betweenthe sheets can be maintained small.

The insertion capacity of the device can be further substantiallyincreased if the holder is so constructed that the store magazine can betransported into a so- 2 called charging position for being charged withfilms of different sizes. In this position the supporting surface forthe film sheets in the store magazine is inclined by at least to thehorizontal and has its inclination maximum approximately along itsdiagonal; in it the calibrated part of the removing slit is arrangedupon a side of the slit while the suction head is arranged in the cornerof the magazine assuming the lowest location in the charging position.This construction of the holder provides that when the store magazine issupplied with a pile of films of different sizes, all films will have adefinite position in the magazine. This spatial arrangement alsoprovides that even when films of different sizes are arranged in thepile in any possible sequence, only that film sheet which is locateddirectly at the removing device will be sucked in and transmittedthrough the removing slit. Furthermore, in this arrangement the surfaceof the suction head used for shifting the film sheets is locatedcentrally relatively to the calibrated part of the slit, so that thebending of the edges of the films is avoided.

According to a further advantageous embodiment of the present inventionthe holder can be constructed as a transporting track upon which twosupply magazines are moved while simultaneously being turned to theextent of 45 about their longitudinal direction, the movement takingplace alternately into a discharging position in front of theintroducing slit of the developing automat and into a charging positionlocated to the side of the discharging position. This construction withtwo supply magazines has the great advantage that the operation of thedeveloping automat does not have to be interrupted when new films mustbe introduced into the supply magazine. On the contrary, a supplymagazine is always available in the receiving location, into which thefilms to be developed can be inserted. At the same time there is alwaysthe possibility of developing films which have just been inserted aheadof the films which have been inserted earlier into the other magazine.This can be achieved by moving the magazine placed in the charginglocation into the discharging location and moving the magazine placed inthe discharging location into the charging location. Furthermore, thecoupling of the movement of the two magazines along the guiding trackfixed to the developing automat and their rotation about 45 about theirlongitudinal direction makes certain that the magazines will be alwayscharged in the correct position.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detaileddescription when taken in connection with the accompanying drawingsshowing by way of example only, a preferred embodiment of the inventiveidea In the drawings:

FIG. l is a perspective view of a developing automat with two storemagazines movable along a holder,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a store magazine coupled to a developingautomat.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the positions which the individual filmsheets can assume in a store magazine.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a store magazine from the side of the removingslit.

FIG. 1 shows a developing automatic 1 having a store magazine 2 forsheet films which is connected airtightly at the side from which thefilms are introduced. A second similar store magazine 3 is located atone of two possible charging locations 4 and 5 to the side of thedeveloping automat. A guide track 6 serving as a holder for themagazines is located at the film introducting side of the developingautomat. The two store magazines 2 and 3 are movable upon the track froma discharge location 7 into one of the two charging locations 4 and 5.The two magazines are provided on two sides with separate guide pins 8and 9. Each of these guide pins is in engagement with one of the guidegrooves 10 or 11 provided in the track 6. The guide grooves are bent asboth ends of the track to the extent of about 45 relatively to thelongitudinal axis of the track, so that when the magazines 2 and 3 areshifted along the track they will turn to the extent of 45 relatively totheir surface direction shortly before reaching the charging locations 4and 5. The turning direction is the same for both charging positions.The two magazines are coupled with each other in the moving direction(not illustrated) so that when a magazine is located in the discharginglocation 7, the other magazine will be located in one of the charginglocations 4 or 5..

FIG. 2 shows in a partly sectional view the cooperation of thedeveloping automat 1 with a store magazine 2 light-tightly coupled withits supporting slit 12. In the casing 13 of the magazine upon a frontside there is a partly calibrated removing slit 14 the width of which inthe calibrated portion is about 1.3 times the thickness ofa film. Thecalibrated removing slit 14 can be closed by a closure 15 which isopened automatically by a stop provided upon the track during couplingto the introducing slot 12 of the developing automat l. The casing ofthe magazine has a cover 16 through which film sheets 17 can beintroduced. Opposite the cover 16 the casing of the magazine has a baseserving as the supporting surface 18 for the film sheets and providedwith a recess along which a suction head 19 can be shifted. The suctionhead is carried by a bar 20 so that it can be moved toward thecalibrated removing slit 14 against the action of a spring 21 and alsoback again. When the supply magazine is coupled to the developingatuomat the bar of the suction head is in engagement with an actuatingframe 22 of the developing automat 1. The bar 20 as well as the frame 22of the developing automat l are tubular in shape. When coupled the barand the frame provide a direct connection between the suction head 19and a low pressure producing device (not shown) provided in thedeveloping automat. When the developing automat is coupled, itsintroducing slit 12 is located directly opposite the calibratedwithdrawing slit 14 of the magazine 2. Directly be-hind the introducingslit of the developing automat there are the transporting rollers 23 and24 driven by the automat. Directly behind these rollers in the filmtransporting direction there is a feeler 25 located in the passage ofthe film sheets 17 which is actuated by the film sheets which have beentransported by the rollers.

FIG. 3 is a top view ofthe supply magazine 2 with the cover removed. Inone corner of the base of the magazine there is a recess in which thesuction head 19 is located. The head 19 is movable by a bar 20 againstthe action of a spring 21 in the direction toward the calibratedremoving slit 14. The locations of film sheets of different sizes areshown by broken lines in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 shows a side view of the magazine 2 from the side of thewithdrawing slit 14, the closure 15 being shown as raised. It isapparent that only that side of the withdrawing slit which is locatedopposite the suction head 19, has a cal-ibrated thickness The remainingpart of the withdrawing slit is wider.

The supply magazine 2 or 3 located in one of the charging positions 4 or5 can be charged with films of different sizes when the cover 16 isremoved. Due to the inclination of the magazine all films slide into itsdeepest comer. Thus the films of different sizes assume the positionsshown by broken lines in FIG. 3. This specific location of the films inthe magazine provides that only the lowermost film sheet will be engagedby the suction head 19 and thus only this one sheet will be sucked bythe suction head and transmitted through the calibrated part of thewithdrawing slit 14. After the closing of the cover the magazine can beshifted along the guide track 6 into the discharging position 7 in frontof the receiving slit 12 of the automat. At the same time another supplymagazine which was located up to now in a discharging position, isshifted by a chord (not shown) into a charging positon located on theopposite side of the guide track. Due to the provision of the two guidepins 8 and 9 engaging the two grooves 10 and 11 of the track, themagazines are turned by 45 relatively to their surface direction duringthe shifting movement. The location of the guide grooves makes certainthat the corner of the supply magazine in which the suction head 19 andthe calibrated portion of the slit 14 are located, will be in thedeepest position in the charging position. The lock 15 prevents thelowermost film sheet from being pushed out during the shifting movement.When a supply magazine is moved into the discharging position the lock15 of the discharging slit 14 of the magazine is opened by a cam 26provided in the guide track 6. Then in the discharge position of thesupply magazine the bar 20 of the supply magazine is in engagement withthe actuating frame 22 of the developing automat 1. In this position theunderpressure of the underpressure transmitter is transmitted by thetubular conduits of the frame 22 and the bar 20 to the suction head 19,so that the lowermost film sheet is firmly held by the suction head. Ifthen the operating frame 22 is shifted toward the developing automat itwill take with it the suction head by the bar 20. Then the lowermostfilm sheet is taken by the suction head and is shifted through thecalibrated slit 14. As soon as the film sheet is shifted between therollers 23, 24 of the developing automat the tubular conduit of theoperating frame 22 is aired (in a manner not shown) and the frame ispushed by the automat into the initial position. Then the film sheet isreleased from the suction head. The transporting rollers then take overthe furter transportation of the filmsheet into the interior of thedeveloping automat. The suction head follows the return stroke of theframe 22 due to the action of the spring 21. The feeler 25 of theautomat is shifted by the passing film sheet. As soon as the feelermoves back into its original position it releases the formation of newunderpressure and a new stroke of the frame 22. This arrangementprovides that the film sheets are always supplied to the developingautomat in a correct time sequence corresponding to their treatingspeed.

Obviously further transportation rollers can be provided in the supplymagazines between the calibrated slit and the transportation rollers 23,24. This has the advantage that the path of movement of the suction head19 can be made smaller. It is also possible to provide the feeler 25instead of in the automat 1 in the two supply magazines.

instead of guiding gooves provided in the guide track it is possible toprovide stops at the ends of the track by means of which rotatablysupported supply magazines when arriving can be swung in the desiredmanner about their longitudinal direction. it is also possible to makethe discharging location of the supply magazines so wide that it can bereached by mere parallel shifting from the two charging positions. Thiswould require a corresponding adaptation of the developing automat buton the other hand would avoid the swinging of the supply magazines whengoing over from the charging position to the discharging position.

Finally it is also possible to construct the covers of the supplymagazines as slides and to adapt the dimension of the'supply magazinesto the receiving slides of the cameras so that they can be placedlight-tightly upon the upper edge of the supply magazines. if then thebase ofthe receiving slides is also constructed as a slide, then thecharging of the supply magazines can take place at daylight merely bypulling the two slides.

I claim:

ll. ln combination with an automatic film developing machine having aninternal film transporting device, a device comprising at least onereceiving magazine for exposed film sheets and a holder connecting saidmagazine to said developing machine, said magazine having a rectangularfilm sheet supporting surface ane a device removing individually filmsheets located in a pile upon said film sheet supporting surface, andmeans driving said removing device and actuated by said filmtransporting device, said holder comprising means shifting said magazinefrom a discharging position into a charging position in which saidsupporting surface is inclined at least by 25 to the horizontal, andwherein said magazine is turned about the normal to the supportingsurface, so that one corner of said supporting surface as sumes thelowest position of all the four corners to position one corner of allsaid film sheets in said one corner regardless of the size thereof, saidcorner being close to said removing device.

2. in combination with an automatic film developing machine having aninternal film transporting device, a device comprising at least onereceiving magazine for exposed film sheets and a holder connecting saidmagazine to said developing machine, said magazine having a rectangularfilm sheet supporting surface and a device removing individually filmsheets located in a pile upon said film sheet supporting surface andmeans driving said removing device and actuated by said filmtransporting device, said removing device comprising an at leastpartially calibrated withdrawing slit in the plane of said film sheetsupporting surface, a suction head projecting into the same plane, andmeans moving said suction head toward said slit and back from said slit,said holder comprising means shifting said magazine from a dischargingposition into a charging position in which said supporting surface isinclined at least by 25 to the horizontal and wherein said magazine isturned about the normal to the supporting surface, so that one corner ofsaid supporting surface assumes the lowest position of all the fourcorners to position one corner of all said film sheets in said onecorner regardless of the size thereof, said corner being close to saidcalibrated portion of the withdrawing slit and said suction head beinglocated in said lowest corner of said magazine.

3. A device in accordance with claim 2, wherein said automatic filmdeveloping machine has a film introducing slit, said holder having aguide track upon which two of said store magazines are movable whilesimultaneously turning to tlie extent of 45 about the normal of theirsupporting surfaces alternately into a discharging position in front ofsaid introducing slit and into a charging position located to the sideof said discharging position.

4. A device in accordance with claim 2, comprising a feeler located inthe path of the film sheets close to said film introducing slit, saidfeeler setting in motion said means for driving said sheets removingdevice each time a film sheet has passed it.

i l lt

1. In combination with an automatic film developing machine having aninternal film transporting device, a device comprising at least onereceiving magazine for exposed film sheets and a holder connecting saidmagazine to said developing machine, said magazine having a rectangularfilm sheet supporting surface ane a device removing individually filmsheets located in a pile upon said film sheet supporting surface, andmeans driving said removing device and actuated by said filmtransporting device, said holder comprising means shifting said magazinefrom a discharging position into a charging position in which saidsupporting surface is inclined at least by 25* to the horizontal, andwherein said magazine is turned about the normal to the supportingsurface, so that one corner of said supporting surface assumes thelowest position of all the four corners to position one corner of allsaid film sheets in said one corner regardless of the size thereof, saidcorner being close to said removing device.
 2. In combination with anautomatic film developing machine having an internal film transportingdevice, a device comprising at least one receiving magazine for exposedfilm sheets and a holder connecting said magazine to said developingmachine, said magazine having a rectangular film sheet supportingsurface and a device removing individually film sheets located in a pileupon said film sheet supporting surface and means driving said removingdevice and actuated by said film transporting device, said removingdevice comprising an at least partially calibrated withdrawing slit inthe plane of said film sheet supporting surface, a suction headprojecting into the same plane, and means moving said suction headtoward said slit and back from said slit, said holder comprising meansshifting said magazine from a discharging position into a chargingposition in which said supporting surface is inclined at least by 25* tothe horizontal and wherein said magazine is turned about the normal tothe supporting surface, so that one corner of said supporting surfaceassumes the lowest position of all the four corners to position onecorner of all said film sheets in said one corner regardless of the sizethereof, said corner being close to said calibrated portion of thewithdrawing slit and said suction head being located in said lowestcorner of said magazine.
 3. A device in accordance with claim 2, whereinsaid automatic film developing machine has a film introducing slit, saidholder having a guide track upon which two of said store magazines aremovable while simultaneously turning to the extent of 45* about thenormal of their supporting surfaces alternately into a dischargingposition in front of said introducing slit and into a charging positionlocated to the side of said discharging position.
 4. A device inaccordance with claim 2, comprising a feeler located in the path of thefilm sheets close to said film introducing slit, said feeler setting inmotion said means for driving said sheets removing device each time afilm sheet has passed it.